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By Jonathan Peck, Carl Hendricks

"Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) based positioning and navigation systems have been recently developed and implemented by AQUILA Mining Systems Ltd. on blast hole drills and electric cable shovels in Canadian open pit coal and iron ore mines. These systems enable the location of the drill bit or the shovel tracks to be accurately determined in three dimensions. The position of the drill or shovel is displayed to the operator via a real-time, Moving Map Display (MMD) on an LCD-VGA screen. The MMD allows the operator to accurately navigate the drill from blast hole to blast hole or maintain a desired shovel grade or face position, with respect to displayed bench features. The maps for the MMD are downloaded from the mine office via laptop or radio link as required or as mining plans change.To obtain reliable, accurate and real-time3D positions of mobile mining equipment, proven GPS technology has to be utilized. The GPS components need to operate reliably under the severe environmental conditions that exist on board mobile mining equipment. In addition, they have to contend with varying pit geometry’s and satellite configurations, with little or no performance degradation. These issues were initially examined in December1993 during a feasibility project between AQUILA and Gregg River Resources Ltd., in relation to implementing GPS systems on blast-hole drills.To achieve certain design objectives, AQUILA Mining Systems Ltd. has developed navigation systems for cable shovels and blast-hole drills based around off-the-shelf, high precision GPS components. These systems utilize the AQUILA Advanced Monitoring Platform (AMP), to display graphically, via the MMD, shovel grade and drill position to the operator to within ±12 inches of design coordinates. Production prototypes have been installed on a Marion 301 cable shovel and a Bucyrus-Erie49-R Series III drill at the Fording River Mine in August, 1995, at the Wabush Mine on a Bucyrus Erie 190-B shovel in June, 1995, and on a GD120 drill at Gregg River Resources Ltd. in January, 1996. All these systems have undergone field trials to test system components and functionality’s under actual production conditions. This paper will discuss these GPS-based positioning and navigation systems in subsequent sections."

Jan 1, 1997

By E. A. Sobering

Hydraulic filling or sand filling is a system used to fill underground excavations with a dense pulp. Milltailings are commonly used. The resultant fill, after being placed and de-watered, is known as hydraulic fill. These fills have been effectively used to (a) provide immediate support of the workings place during stoping; (b) .facilitate the recovery of pillars; (c) limit surface damage by subsidence; (d) permit the mining of parallel hanging-wall orebodies; (e) stabilize the ground in mines, thereby reducing the rock burst hazard; (f) control and prevent mine fires; and (g) solve tailings disposal .problems. The various uses of hydraulic filling have been developed during the last ninety years. In 1864 it was employed only to control surface subsidence. Since then, this system has been successfully applied to meet specific ground support problems. Methods of handling mine-fill derived from a source outside the stope include transportation ?Of the material by hand, mechanical, pneumatic, and hydraulic means, or a combination of these methods. The hydraulic method has many advantages not found in the others; a significant advantage is the low compressibility of the material when compared to other mine-fill material. The hydraulic filling operation includes the .preparation and transportation of the pulp. The underground practices in .placing the fill vary from mine to mine. The chief reason, formerly, for using hydraulic fill was the exceptional support it provided, but recently it has proven an important means of reducing mining costs. This is especially true where labour is a large part of an alternative method, or where timber consumption is greatly reduced. The indirect benefits of hydraulic filling are probably as important as the direct benefits, and few important disadvantages exist.

Jan 1, 1956

By Harry R. Johnson

Domestic expenditures by the U.S. petroleum industry have exhibited distinctive shifts in emphasis over the past 20 years. From the end of World War II to 1955, expenditures for all phases of the industry expanded. Although over one-half of all expenditures were for production, the relative emphasis was changed after 1956-58 from production toward processing and marketing. The period 1967-69 marked the beginning of a return to emphasis on exploration and production. These trends in expenditure patterns are logical and rational when related to domestic and international economic conditions and to the widespread application of improved production technology. As the immense job of developing the oil resources of Alaska and other regions begins, the petroleum industry will continue to turn to external sources for working capital. Long-term debt will probably be the principal method of external financing through 1970, but a definite shift toward new common and preferred stocks will be made. Higher product prices may be sought by the petroleum industry, but the economics of crude-oil production, changes in the tax structure, and possible changes in the oil imports control program make the price structure of crude oil and crude-oil products unpredictable at the present time.

Jan 1, 1970

By William H. Waggaman

CURTAILMENT of the mineral industry as a whole undoubtedly will follow world peace, but the output of certain minerals should pursue a course well above the average on any curve of probable output projected beyond the trends exhibited through 1939. Without speculating on industrial conditions in the pending recomversion period, demand for fluorspar should be greater than before the war because of these factors, introduced by or resulting directly from military necessity: (1) Discovery and development of new deposits. (2) Improved technology in benefication. (3) New and expanded uses for fluorspar and its derivatives. The steel industry has been and continues to be the greatest consumer of fluorspar, and it wag largely to meet the wartime needs for steel that the domestic fluorspar industry has been expanded so greatly. Not only were the search for and development of new deposits of this mineral considered esstinal but the marginal nature of some of the,c- domestic deposits made it necessary to improve mineral dressinc and processing techniques to utilize them

Jan 1, 1945

By Thomas F. Anderson

(Measurements of stable isotopic variations (sulfur, carbon, and oxygen), supplemented by chemical, mineralogical, and petrographic analyses have been used to investigate the processes responsible for : (1) the incorporation of sulfur in coal, and (2) the (development of permineralized peat zones ("coal balls"). Sulfur isotopic results indicate that there are two principal sources of sulfur in the Pennsylvanian coals from the Illinois Basin: (1) "primary" sulfur assimilated by plants (low-sulfur coals), and (2) "secondary" sulfur produced by reactions involving H2S that was produced by the anaerobic reduction of sulfate in seawater which permeated the peat during post-depositional marine transgressions (the dominant source of sulfur in high-sulfur coals). Sulfur isotopic compositions of low-sulfur coals in Several Tertiary basins of Wyoming are consistent with a plant sulfur source. However, the inverse correlation between content and isotopic composition of sulfur observed in coals from the Powder River Basin suggest some "secondary" additions to these low-sulfur coals. Seveeral Quaternary (freshwater pears which were submerged by sea-Level rises during deglaciation over the past 30 ka have sulfur contents and isotopic compositions similar to high-sulfur coals. Carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions of calcareous coal balls from North America and Europe suggest that (1) the carbonate was derived from variable proportions of oxidized plant matter (typically predominant) and inorganic carbonate, and (2) the carbonate minerals were precipitated from fresh-to-brackish waters. Local geochemical and hydrological conditions were apparently more important than regional depositional environments in controlling the source of carbonate and the development of coal balls.

Jan 1, 1983

By P G. Greenhill

The Wonawinta silver project near Cobar in NSW is under development by Cobar Consolidated Resources Limited (CCR). RMDSTEM Limited is part of the owner’s team for feasibility, design, engineering, construction and commissioning.With a 51Moz resource CCR is one of the largest pure silver players in Australia. A probable reserve of 14.3Moz has been defined for a mine life of approximately five years. The silver mineralization is contained in host rock composed of clays and oxidized limestone. The ore also contains on average 1.3% lead as cerussite, and other minerals. A simple circuit consisting of slurrying of the ore, gravity treatment of the coarse fraction to recover lead, silver extraction using CIL, elution and the Merrill Crowe silver recovery process, has been developed.The “value engineering” approach to this development pioneered over the past decade by RMDSTEM has meant that RMDSTEM has delivered the bankable feasibility study at a cost of $0.07 per resource ounce. It is highly cost effective making efficient use of shareholders funds as well as being very time efficient. This paper describes the application of the value engineering approach to the development of the Wonawinta project.

Aug 8, 2011

By R. F. Hochstein, A. J. Neale, B. C. Flintoff

"Process control technology holds very significant potential benefits for many mineral and coal processing plants. The impact can be expected in terms of performance improvements (e.g. increased throughput, better quality control, higher availability), through reduced operating costs (e.g. lower reagent consumptions, manpower reductions) and in the form of intangibles (e.g. reduced vulnerability to manpower turnover, increased productivity in the user group). However, the installation of a process control system will represent considerable capital expenditure and will generate an operating cost. No management team would approve the funding for such a project without some reasonable measure(s) of the profitability of a proposed system. This paper describes a methodology for addressing the justification problem. Of particular interest is the approach to quantifying performance improvements, frequently found to be the predominant benefit of process control.INTROPUCTIONProcess control has become widely recognized as an essential component of any processing operation. It has direct impact on productivity, process efficiency and product marketability. The reported pay backs associated with successful installations underscore this observation. As a consequence, many operators who have little in the way of process automation are looking to initiate control projects, while those who currently enjoy some level of automation are looking to upgrade existing control systems (= process + instrumentation + hardware + software + operators + support). While the emphasis here would appear to be on retrofit process control projects, new plants, or those currently in the design stage, will usually find themselves in one of these categories shortly after startup 1."

Jan 1, 1990

By Takashi Sasaoka

About 200 M tons of coal were imported into Japan in 2007 and Indonesia was its second largest exporter, accounting for about 30 M tons (12% of the total imported coal). Indonesia produced about 200 M tons of coal, about 75% of which was exported in 2007. As the Indonesian government has decided on an energy policy wherein 33% of the country?s primary energy demand will be met by coal by the year 2025, the domestic demand for coal has increased dramatically in recent years. Over 99% of the coal produced in Indonesia comes from surface mines. However, the conditions of surface mines are worsening each year: the stripping ratio is increasing, approaching the economic ratio, and the infrastructure for coal from inland mining areas is insufficient for such intense mining operations. To meet the demand for coal in Indonesia and the rest of the world, underground mines have to be developed. However, mining engineers and/or miners in Indonesia do not have a lot of experiences, expertise and know-how concerning the plans and operations of an underground coal mine. In addition, the industry faces a lot of problems which include poor conditions such as a steep coal seam, groundwater problem, stability of highwall, etc. Under these situations, a mine targeted in this research attempts to develop a new underground mine from an open-cut highwall because the stripping ratio in the surface mining area has almost reached the limitation of economic value. This paper discusses the possible development of a new underground coal mine from an open-cut highwall by means of field observation and numerical analysis.

Jan 1, 2009

By Thomas V. Falkie

The new international fact of life that has emerged in the 70's is that foreign energy sources can no longer be considered either reliable or low in price. As a result, the United States is turning its full attention to its domestic energy resources. The figures about proved domestic reserves are often used to reassure us about the Nation's energy future: assuming a 50 percent recovery factor, there are at least 219 billion tons of recoverable bituminous coal and lignite, of which 31 percent is available by surface methods; proved reserves of crude petroleum and natural gas liquids total 34.3 billion barrels and 6.4 billion barrels, respectively. There is also about 4 billion tons of recoverable anthracite coal, a premium low-sulfur fuel of high heating value, which is all but priced out of the market because of the high costs of producing it. Total fossil fuel resources are even larger, although there are no guarantees concerning how much might become usable, and when, and at what cost. The figures, however, are impressive. They include the equivalent of about 200 billion barrels of oil potentially recoverable from high grade oil shale; 100 billion barrels in "heavy oil" deposits; and the equivalent of 25 to 35 billion barrels of oil in domestic deposits of "tar sands," and substantial quantities of conventional oil and gas resources. There is also the prospect of a significant increase in electric power generation

Jan 1, 1975

By Kimiz Dalkir

Some things to keep in mind? ! What is your role in knowledge management? ! What knowledge-related challenges are you facing today? ! How does important knowledge get shared in your organization? ! Can you name factors that enable/block innovation and organizational learning in your work context? A brief history of KM? ! Top-down / imposed ! Rigid / bureaucratic ! Slow deployments ! Expensive ! Unpopular: empty libraries, info-junkyards, low adoption rates ! Problems measuring success ! The result: traditional KM is not the answer

May 1, 2003

By M. Yavuz

One of the challenging problems for optimization in mining operations is to choose the best equipment among the alternatives. Equipment selection is an important task for mine management due to its operational cost, and is also an integral part of mine planning and design. Equipment selection is not a well-defined process because it involves the interaction of several subjective factors or criteria. Besides, decisions are often complicated and may even embody contradictions. Therefore, equipment selection is considered as a multi-criteria decision-making process, and suitable decision-making methods should be employed in this process. In this study, the loader selection for Aegean Lignite Colliery was made by using both the analytic hierarchy process and Yager’s method. Owing to the misusage of Yager’s method in the past, a new procedure is proposed in this paper for making proper decisions. It is highly recommended in this purposed method that criteria or alternatives should be grouped so as not to exceed the limitations of human performance (nine criteria/alternatives). The most appropriate solution for the loader selection was investigated by obeying this limitation for each method, and the results were compared. At the end of the decision-making process, a sensitivity analysis was applied for each method in order to see how a criterion affects the final decision. The advantages and disadvantages encountered during the application of each decision-making method are presented.

Jan 1, 2015

Using mines in Canada, Boart Longyear, a leading provider of drilling services and products, has put its Stage 3 Coring Bit to the test and each time the bit has passed the test with great success. After more than a year in the field at a major mine operation in Sudbury, Canada, the Stage3 coring bit broke life records to become recognized as the most productive design in the industry. In addition to the proven advantage seen in regular bit life increases of as much as 300 percent in some cases, the design is quickly being recognized for its cost-saving operational impact. In Sudbury, the mine operation realized actual cash savings of more than C$45,000 within an eight-month period by making the switch to Stage3 bits. For years, the Sudbury Basin team has relied on the Alpha Extended Crown bit with the Express Waterway geometry option, ordering approximately 500 units per year. This 07 COM ECEX configuration performed well in medium-hard, non-abrasive to ultra-hard, non-abrasive formations with an average bit life of 150 m (490 ft). While satisfied with the performance of the Alpha Ex-tended Crown, the team agreed to put the new Alpha Stage3 to the test. Boart Longyear?s field engineers supplied five drill sites with Alpha Stage3 bits in a 07 COM configuration. After thoroughly testing the Stage3, the results were clear. Even with the well-known performance and versatility offered by the previously preferred configuration, the Stage3 set a new standard of bit performance. The new bit maintained its cutting edge for up to three times longer than the Alpha Extended Crown, a significant performance increase when compared to the 07 COM ECEX.

Jan 1, 2009

By A. Rao, J. A. Davidson, B. L. Jones, K. W. Bowes, D. Craib

Supported by ANSTO, Groundwater Science and Inception Consulting Engineers, Boss has embarked on a series of technical projects aimed at reinforcing the Project’s capability to meet its export permit production capability. This paper will focus on three aspects of this technical program: Reducing the cost of resource expansion through smart use of low cost, surface target generation techniques; Improving the rate of uranium leaching and solution stability (gypsum, jarosite) through lixiviant chemistry modifications; and Development of an ion exchange (IX) process to increase production capacity, and integration of IX and the current solvent extraction circuit with the existing uranium precipitation and product preparation circuits.

Jan 1, 2020

Several factors contributing to the loss of fibre during treatment are a function of the paragenesis of the veins. The occurrence, of magnetite from the cap rock within the veins prevents complete fiberization. There is a marked similarity between these veins and those in the Koegas-Westerberg area of South Africa.INTRODUCTIONAn investigation of the mineralogy of the Wittenoom Gorge crocidolite veins was undertaken in the latter part of 1962 at the request of the Colonial Sugar Refining Co. Ltd. It was anticipated that such a study might reveal the cause or causes of the lack of recovery of some asbestos during beneficiation. Some interesting features of the mineralogy and paragenesis of the crocidolite veins become apparent, but it is emphasized that the investigation is far from complete, as the study did not extend to the field occurrence.The samples examined were selected from the mill and from the untreated ore.GEOLOGICAL SETTINGWittenoom Gorge is situated on the Fortescue River in the Hammersley Ranges of Western Australia and is one of several gorges in these ranges, on the sides of which 'crocidoIite asbestos is known to occur. The Hammersley, Ranges consist essentially of a series of quartzites, shales, ferruginous quartzites and dolomites. These' rocks are part of the Nullagine Formation (Proterozoic) and are usually either horizontal or gently folded. In some 'areas small beds of riebeckite as well as crocidolite are known to occur interbedded in the sequence.Riebeckite is a monoclinic amphibole, the formula of which may be stated as Na2Fe2"Fe2" (OH) 2Si8O22, and crocidolite is a fibrous variety of this mineral. This formula...

Jan 1, 1963

By B Mead, N D. Pascoe

The Grasberg block cave rail haulage system will be located in the Grasberg mining district on the island of Papua, Indonesia at an elevation of almost 3000 m above sea level. It will transport 160 000 t of ore per day from multiple chute galleries to the underground crushing systems. The design entails approximately 23 km of rail (ballasted and embedded track), over 120 ore chutes to deliver ore to the muck cars and three unloading stations to deliver ore to the crushers. The rail haulage system is a closed-loop system entirely within the underground mining complex.The GBC rail haulage project will be a substantial operation. Trains consist of 11–12 bottom-dump 20 m3 muck cars driven by a 40 t electric locomotive, about 400 t per trainload. Approximately 12 trains and one spare are required to maintain full production at 160 000 t/d. All rail installations will be 1435 mm (standard) gauge with AS60 steel.The rail system is designed to operate in full automated mode, including chute loading, hauling and dumping. The operation will be controlled from a surface control room.The rail haulage project has been divided into five stages, which will be brought online over the course of ten years. Current development and construction are focused on Stage 1 for initial production that will occur beginning in late 2017. This stage includes 24 chutes in three chute galleries, one unloading station, workshop areas and almost 7 km of track (3 km of embedded and 4 km of ballast).This paper describes the key components of the rail haulage system and reports on the current status of development and construction of the system. This paper also overviews the challenges, successes, issues and risks of this project in areas such as scheduling, development, construction and operation.CITATION:Pascoe, N D, Mead, B and Vega, H, 2016. Grasberg block cave haulage project – design and construction update, in Proceedings Seventh International Conference and Exhibition on Mass Mining (MassMin 2016), pp 585–598 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2016

By Debasis Deb

The first version of the longwall strata control and maintenance system (LSCMS) has been successfully developed by the Strata Control Re¬search Team at the University of Alabama. The system includes a software package designed to monitor shield leg pressure, interpret the data and predict the forthcoming roof loads and the existence of geological anomalies. It can also detect maintenance problems of the face equipment. The LSCMS was installed underground and connected to the surface terminals at Drummond's Shoal Creek Mine in Alabama. The system has proven to be a useful and practical system for improving safety and efficiency in coal-mining operation. The Shoal Creek Mine is a new, large coal mine operated by Drummond with two longwall panels. The Blue Creek seam is the primary source of coal production. It is located at a depth of 275 to 440 m (900 to 1,450 ft) below the surface with an approximate 2% southwest dip. Typical strata conditions are represented by two stratigraphic columns (Figs. la and b). A fireclay/dark shale parting (called Middleman) 0.2- 0.7-m- (1- to 2.5-ft-) thick exists between the Mary Lee and Blue Creek seams. Mining conditions vary from area to area. This mainly depends on the Blue Creek seam thickness that ranges from 0.9 to 2.9 m (3 to 9.5 ft). The thickness of the Mary Lee and the parting is relatively consistent with a to¬tal of 0.9 m (3 ft). They are mined when the Blue Creek seam becomes thinner. In most of the panels, the immediate roof is composed of sandy shale 1.5-

Jan 1, 1997

By M. Abdellatif

Keywords: Pyrometallurgy, furnace, DC arc furnace, smelting, silicon The technical feasibility of silicon smelting in a DC arc furnace was investigated. A graphite-lined furnace was operated at power levels of 150 to 160 kW, and 40 to 60 V. The average feed rate during the silicon production period was about 30 kg/h. The recipe consisted of pre-mixed batches of 28% petroleum coke and 72% lumpy silica. The target furnace operating temperature was set at 1600°C and then raised to 1700°C. In total, about 1.6 tons of premixed feed materials was processed over 16 feeding?tapping operations. The feed was manually charged into the furnace in sub-batches of 10 to 40 kg at a time. The total batch mass was set at 90 kg during the initial part of the testwork, and increased to about 120 kg for the rest of the campaign.

Jan 1, 2011

By Thomas Prietl

The use of gas stirring systems through the furnace bottom is common for anode and holding furnaces in the copper industry The first implementation of a gas stirring COP KIN® system in a Peirce-Smith converter was performed at the New Boliden smelter, Rönnskar, Sweden. In addition to other benefits, a decrease in process time and a decrease of the oxygen content in the blister copper were observed. To determine the effects of the gas stirring system and the process endpoint, an optical production control ?Semtech OPC system? was used. The light emission of the converter flame as an optical process parameter provides qualitative on-line process information, and is also used for endpoint determination of the slag making process, on-line control of iron content in white metal, quality control of slag etc. The results, benefits and risks of using the COP KIN® and OPC system for a Peirce-Smith converter are reported.

Jan 1, 2005

By A Atkins

Six recent case studies were selected based on the eight main causes of mine disasters (Table 1; Quinlan, 2014) and where credible information sources, such as Royal Commission Reports, Coronial Investigations and textbooks, were available. The six case studies are listed below. Details are available via this link or the conference PowerPoint accompanying this paper. 1. Beaconsfield, Tasmania – 2006 Fall of Ground/Seismic Event (Chandler, 2009; Melick, 2007; Wright, 2012). 2. Bingham Canyon, USA – 2013 Manefay Slide (Ross, 2017). 3. Bronzewing, WA – 2000 Hydraulic Fill Inrush (Hope, 2002). 4. Brumadinho and Samarco, Brazil – 2015 and 2019 Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) failures (Bowker, 2019; Darlington et al, 2019; Demajorovic, Lopes and Santiago, 2019; Morgenstern, 2016). 5. Northparkes, NSW – 1999 Cave Air-blast (Bailey, 2003; Hebblewhite, 2003). 6. Pike River, NZ – 2010 Methane Gas Explosion (Macfie, 2013; Panckhurst, Bell and Henry, 2012.

May 5, 2022

By Jack E. Bailey

From a start in 1957, milling 3,000 TPD of copper ore, the Cyprus Pima Mining Company, which is located 20 miles south of Tucson, has expanded its operations four times, and is currently treating over 55,000 TPD of ore.1 The most recent expansion added a 14,000 TPD semi-autogenous concentrator to the operation. Shortly after startup in January, 1972, the semi -autogenous plant exceeded the designed tonnage rate.2 Ore from the mine is delivered to a 54 inch gyratory crusher and is reduced to a minus 8 inch product. From the crusher the ore is stacked on a surge pile and then reclaimed and fed to the two parallel grinding circuits. A 28 ft. diameter by 12 ft. long semi-autogenous mill and a 16.5 ft. diameter by 19 ft. long ball mill make up each grinding circuit. The semi-autogenous mills are in closed circuit with screens and the ball mill circuits are closed with hydro- cyclones. Rougher flotation follows the grinding operation. Concentrate regrinding and cleaner flotation is performed in Mill I, the older mill. The generalized flowsheet is shown in Figure 1.

Jan 1, 1975